if someone has a different type of animal or a child, I'd be tempted to go, "it's just ((whichever animal they have))" or "it's just a child." but I would probably not, since I don't like conflicts, but it would irk me. Just cus THEY don't like a certain animal for a pet doesn't mean it gives them the right to insult you for yours.

About a week ago I was one of those "It's just a fish" people.
I decided to get a betta. At first I bought one of those small "betta bowls" that are for little office desks. But the minute I put Jenkins in that bowl I felt bad. So I went out and bought him a tank, and then some more plants, and then a heater, and so on.
Now he's my little buddy and I want to try to care for him the best I can.
But now I feel bad for my best friends betta. She's had that thing for years and she's kept it in a bowl and barely ever cleans it/feeds it. 8[ It's awful! Next time I go over there he's getting a cleaning.

But now I feel bad for my best friends betta. She's had that thing for years and she's kept it in a bowl and barely ever cleans it/feeds it. 8[ It's awful! Next time I go over there he's getting a cleaning.

Years??? With that kind of treatment? She is SOOOO lucky, unlike me. I have had bettas that got the best of care and treatment and died on me in less than a week! =[ I mean they where sick to begin with, but still... WOW..

Anywho, i know this can be a touchy subject for people, but IMO, i feel you can not compare a betta to a dog or cat. Now i am not taking away from a betta and i love bettas. But, IME, i still get choked up thinking about my dog i had for 15 yrs that was put to sleep almost 2 yrs ago. But, thinking of all the bettas i have lost in the past, especially losing my 4 girls at the same time...well sure, it bummed me out, but does not sting. I mean you cant do most of the things with a betta as you can with a dog or cat, not much comparison. I think that's why people use that saying "just a fish" or my least favorite especially with hermit carbs ( which IMO and IME have the same crappy treatment at petco and petsmart IF not worse =[ ) "throw away pets" I know this is a touchy area for those who really love animals, but hey, just my opinion =]

Years??? With that kind of treatment? She is SOOOO lucky, unlike me. I have had bettas that got the best of care and treatment and died on me in less than a week! =[ I mean they where sick to begin with, but still... WOW..

Anywho, i know this can be a touchy subject for people, but IMO, i feel you can not compare a betta to a dog or cat. Now i am not taking away from a betta and i love bettas. But, IME, i still get choked up thinking about my dog i had for 15 yrs that was put to sleep almost 2 yrs ago. But, thinking of all the bettas i have lost in the past, especially losing my 4 girls at the same time...well sure, it bummed me out, but does not sting. I mean you cant do most of the things with a betta as you can with a dog or cat, not much comparison. I think that's why people use that saying "just a fish" or my least favorite especially with hermit carbs ( which IMO and IME have the same crappy treatment at petco and petsmart IF not worse =[ ) "throw away pets" I know this is a touchy area for those who really love animals, but hey, just my opinion =]

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the Betta Fish and Betta Fish Care forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.